As self-conscious beings we have an innate desire to know. We want to know about ourselves as well as our surroundings. Initially our knowledge comes from our parents and family. Then, as we start to interact with individuals outside our family, either at the school or in our neighborhood, we learn new things and different ideas. As we mature further we start to interact with the society at large. We learn to read, watch television, browse the internet and exchange ideas with others. As we make these interactions our personal ideology and world view begins to take shape. Once we grow further to become a teenager and reach early adulthood, our personal ideology takes a firm root in our being. We live the rest of our lives consciously or unconsciously according to this ideology. This book gives a world view based on the ideology of Monotheism.
Monotheism is an ideology that dates back as far as early recorded human history. It is centered around the concept of one supreme being called God, who created the universe including us and holds us responsible for our conduct.
But does God exist? If yes, why can’t we see Him. If we can’t see Him, how do we know that He even exists? Can we be sure of His existence without actually ever seeing Him? If He exists why did He create the Universe? If He created the Universe, then who created Him? Is it possible for universe to exist without a creator? These questions cross the minds of many of us at least at some point in our lives.
Our personal ideology is not only shaped by our social interactions but also by which era of human thought do we live in. Undoubtedly, the present era is dominated by science. In this era science has taken a center stage and there is no area of our life which is not affected by science. Scientific knowledge is based on carefully made observations, empirical evidence and reason and this method has helped us use nature for our benefit.
In this era of science many have questioned the ideology of Monotheism, rejecting it altogether, something which was part of human society before the scientific revolution, but today has no place in our personal lives. Faith in the unseen realities is considered similar to fairy tales with no rational foundation for accepting them. Major world religions are considered remnants of human thought from pre-modern era and those who continue to practice them (actually majority of world population) as those still immature in their thought. Surveys of prominent scientists show that many of them don’t believe in God at all.
Major scientific theories like the “Big bang theory” and “Theory of evolution by natural selection” can explain how universe came into existence and how intelligent life evolved on earth. As for morality, some say we can rely on reason and empirical knowledge alone to figure out what is morally right and wrong. We don’t need to believe in God to be good to others.
In the busy modern life, our focus is generally revolves around getting an education, or employment, personal relationships, raising children and enjoying life with leisure activities. Even if God exists, what does He or religion add to our lives anyways? The role of God or religion in our personal lives seems less and less important.
If God exists, and He is all powerful and all knowledgeable, then do we have a free will? If we don’t have free will then how can He hold us accountable for our actions, and if we do have free will then doesn’t that challenge His authority?
Moreover, there is so much suffering, death and destruction and pure evil all around us in the form of diseases, crimes, natural disasters, wars, that a benevolent, all powerful God seems implausible. Is He indifferent to all this?
There are many world religions, some followed by billions of people. Most of the time people follow the religion of their parents. Is there one religion that is better than others? If yes, then isn’t it unfair to those who are born in other faiths? If no one religion is better than the others, then it doesn’t make a different which religion one follow. How does one resolve this confusion?
For some people believe in God or following Divine revelation is fundamentally incompatible with pursuit of life based on reason and science? However, at least in the context of Islam, pursuit of science or philosophy was never considered incompatible with following the teachings of the Quran. Prominent Muslims scientists and philosophers like Avicenna and Al-Tusi were men of science and reason as well as theology. One of the most prominent scientist of all times Sir Isaac Newton also wrote a book on theology called philosophical origins of gentile theology (See chapter 10) defending the idea of monotheism. However, as the scientific understanding of the world has increased, for many the compatibility between science and theology has become increasingly difficult.
In this backdrop I thought it was important to write a book about Monotheism. I personally know many friends and acquaintances who no longer believe in God and consider religion obsolete. Similarly, there are many others who are believers, but religion plays only a peripheral role in their personal lives, lacking the insight as to why religion should be important to them. In my role as a thoracic medical oncologist (lung cancer specialist), a cancer researcher and a faculty member at a medical school in Houston, Texas, scientific approach is part and parcel of my daily work. In my personal belief I belong to Shia school of thought within the fold of Islam. I have also taken short courses on Islamic theology, philosophy and mysticism.
My primary exposure to religious knowledge has been through attending the religious gatherings (Majalis) dedicated to Imam Husain(as), the third shia imam. These gatherings which are held every year during Muharram, the first month in Islamic calendar all across the globe, are a great source of infusing the community with religious knowledge. These gathering provide a gateway to expose ordinary people like myself to intellectual and academic discussions about various theological issues. If it were not for these gatherings I would have been wondering aimlessly as well, unable to resolve the conflict between science and religion like many of my colleagues.” Indeed, Al-Husain(as) is the lamp of guidance and the ship of salvation”.(Prophet Muhammad(saw).
The Quran, the primary text of Islam, constantly reminds the readers to use reason and intellect, and invites us to ponder over the natural world. The Shia school of thought in its approach, lays great emphasis on reason and rationality, not only in the fundamental beliefs (uṣūl al-dīn) but also in jurisprudential issues (fiqh). Moreover, the use of both philosophy and mysticism are emphasized greatly in addition to relying on the revealed text i.e. the Quran.
This book, God and god of science, represents a synthesis of different branches of knowledge namely theology, philosophy, mysticism and science.
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